In The Shadows: Meatball Mikio meets Haruko-chan
by ofhustlersandastronauts
Summary: Follow the thoughts of younger siblings of two great center players, post Sannoh. Now one year later, and things have changed.
1. Chapter 1

Kawata Mikio was incredibly disappointed in himself. That very day - supposedly the best day ever - he'd made his basketball debut, playing for the best high school team in all of Japan, Sannoh Industry Affiliated High School.

Yet, it was one day he wanted to forget.

Three-time national champions - King Sannoh - had lost against a no-name team.

In the second round of the National Championships - Sannoh's first game in the tournament, no less.

Mikio sighed, as the bench he was sitting on creaked under his massive weight.

It was a perfect summer day, the late afternoon sun blazing hot. In light of Sannoh's shocking defeat, Coach Doumoto had given the team a rare day off. They were leaving Hiroshima for home the following morning, so Mikio took the chance to explore the city before his seniors could rope him in an unofficial practice session, as they always did whenever they had the time to spare.

Mikio's performance that day was less than mediocre. And everyone had been putting their hopes on him. Of course, he'd never played an actual game before, though he'd always assumed that the intensity of Coach Doumoto's training was enough. Not to mention the extra training he did with his big brother after team practice.

Boy, was he wrong.

He was a million years away from surpassing his brother, Masashi, the best center player in all of Japan.

Masashi was a versatile player; he'd grown up playing different positions on the court, as his body changed. He started off as a guard, which suited his small stature when he first entered high school. Soon enough, he hit his growth spurt, inching higher every month, and with his new height, he was promoted to a forward. Now a senior at Sannoh, he was their fearsome center, taller and bigger than the other starters on the team. As Masashi evolved through the positions, he never lost his skills he'd acquired, so now he was a center with the skills of a forward and a guard, too. Even with his ginormous stature, he was agile, moving flawlessly without the ball, and his mid-range shots were dead accurate - rare for a center player. But again, Masashi was one of a kind. It was doubtless; Masashi was the perfect center.

Since they were brothers, everyone expected Mikio to be like Masashi.

Except that they were virtually different.

Mikio wasn't as talented as his big brother. The first time he'd ever held a basketball was just that spring, when his overprotective mother finally let him join the school team to follow in his brother's footsteps. Before that, all he ever did was watch his brother play, pulling off seemingly impossible offensive tricks that Mikio could never picture himself doing. When he finally did start playing basketball, Coach Doumoto had subjected him to the basics every single day, and he never complained. Until today, offensively, he only knew how to shoot under the rim, nothing fancy.

It was if he was resigned to be less than Masashi, always the untalented younger brother, only known for his enormous stature. It was the only advantage Mikio had, and Coach Doumoto and the other seniors on the team played it to the team's advantage.

" _Don't worry too much about attacking for now. We need your body for defence." Masashi had said, in the presence of team ace Sawakita Eiji, who'd nodded in agreement. Sawakita picked up the loose ball from Mikio's rebounded shot. Masashi's voice bounced around the Sannoh gym authoritatively, as if accentuating his point._

So that was how it was - Masashi would train his little brother to post up in defence. The older Kawata sibling would attack relentlessly, and Mikio would do his very best to defend. Most of the time, Masashi would score against him, yet Mikio knew that he was learning - Coach Doumoto wanted to groom him into one of Sannoh's starters, as a replacement for his brother who would be graduating high school soon - amidst the sliver of disappointment set in his heart.

" _Use your body, Mikio! Don't let anyone get under the rim!" Masashi bellowed during a training session, forcing himself to enter the key, closer to the hoop. Mikio was much larger than his brother, yet he lacked the experience, so Masashi easily inched his way under the rim._

" _Sorry, brother!" Mikio had to use all of his power to stop Masashi._

His brother, the best center in Akita.

Possibly Japan.

Mikio respected his brother, and his seniors. He knew that Masashi was destined for nothing but greatness. Every night, before he closed his eyes, he imagined his brother Masashi lifting the Inter-High tournament cup with the rest of the team, like he did for the past two years. And he'd be there in the back, pasting a smile on his chubby face, just another footnote in Sannoh's journey to the top. Everyone knew that this year's team was the best - Coach Doumoto had set up a practice game with Sannoh alumni just last night, which Mikio had been absent from, but the current team had beaten their seniors soundly, fair and square. Sannoh's invincibility was unquestionable.

Except that they'd lost.

Mikio's fantasies, all of his seniors dreams - crushed by a determined gang of troublemakers from Kanagawa. And so ended his own hopes of conquering the nation with his beloved brother.

Mikio sighed again, lifting his head up to the blue, blue sky above. Masashi and Captain Fukatsu were third year students who'd retire at the end of summer. And as for their ace, Sawakita, he was moving on to greener pastures in America. It was as if the best players on the team were ominously leaving, in light of the defeat by Shohoku.

What was going to happen to the Sannoh basketball team?

* * *

What was going to happen to the Shohoku basketball team?

Akagi Haruko sighed. She walked along the well-worn park trail, hoping that the greenery around her would clear her mind.

That very morning, she'd witnessed the best basketball game in her life: Shohoku against Sannoh.

Shohoku, the team her brother Takenori had led, were the underdogs, ever since the matchup was announced. Yet, they'd emerged victorious in the daunting task of facing King Sannoh in the second round of the Inter-High.

Another step closer to conquering the nation…

Even so, the victory came at an expensive cost.

All the starting players had been too tired to celebrate their win against reigning champions Sannoh. It had taken all of their might - but their path to the championship was clearer now that the kings had been dethroned. Both guards, Miyagi Ryota and Mitsui Hisashi were getting treated for dehydration, in addition to fatigue; they'd been pushed to their limits in the forty-minute game, especially for former MVP Mitsui. He was even getting his knee checked, after quietly telling their manager Ayako about the niggling pain.

Team captain Akagi Takenori was draining fluids, chugging bottle after bottle of isotonic drinks the freshmen had brought him, a weary look on his features. Even the super rookie, Rukawa Kaede, had collapsed from exhaustion once the buzzer rang, and he was now enjoying some well-deserved sleep.

In short, four of the starting members had taken worse for the wear.

Things couldn't get even more worse, but it did.

Power forward Sakuragi Hanamichi had picked up a back injury in the game, trying to save a rogue ball to keep it in play. He had ended up landing awkwardly in the press area, though pushed himself to play until the finishing seconds even after Coach Anzai had briefly substituted him out. But in the end, the pain had been so excruciating that the iron-bodied Sakuragi had to be stretchered off-court for imminent medical attention.

Sakuragi's plays had been priceless in the game against Sannoh, in fact, it was his best performance yet…

But team manager Ayako had mentioned that Sakuragi's injury concerned a player's life - an injury so dangerous that the boisterous redhead might not play basketball anymore.

Haruko's eyebrows knotted into a worry, thinking about her best friend. She was the one who'd discovered his raw talent, and persuaded him to join the basketball club.

Sakuragi Hanamichi, former juvenile delinquent, had become a priceless asset of the Shohoku basketball team, even if the four other starters wouldn't admit _that_ out loud.

Haruko, being optimistic as she always had been, knew that there was a ray of hope in keeping her brother's dream alive. The late afternoon breeze whispered in her ears, as three little words popped into her mind.

 _Conquer the nation…_

The third round was looming ahead. Of course, the games were going to get tougher. Shohoku could survive without Sakuragi, like they did against Takezato High in the Kanagawa district finals. They had a valuable sixth man in their senior, Kogure Kiminobu, who could play in the forward position alongside Rukawa.

And judging from today's performance against Sannoh, Shohoku had nowhere to go but up.

Miyagi's broad basketball vision orchestrated Shohoku's plays, cleverly using their strengths against their opponents' weaknesses. Mitsui had his dead accurate three-point shots, and Rukawa had transformed his style of play right on court that morning against Sannoh, discovering the magic of passing the ball. And Haruko's older brother Takenori, was Shohoku's embodied spirit, the glue that held the five mismatches together. His attack and defence were equally frightening - after all, his signature moves, the Gorilla Dunk and the Flyswatter, were crowd-pleasers.

Haruko looked up to the sky in deep thought, watching a flock of birds soaring in the sky. She respected her brother - his determination and hard work had gotten him and his teammates this far into the Nationals. He'd been weighed down by weak teammates in his first two years of high school - back then, Shohoku was a minnow even in Kanagawa, never making it far even in the regional tournament. But now, Takenori was in his third and final year - his last chance - and he'd been gifted with talented teammates in the form of troublemakers: Mitsui, Miyagi, Rukawa and Sakuragi.

Haruko knew that her brother was thankful for his teammates, though he never said it out loud. A tiny smile carved onto her lips.

Her brother, the best center in Kanagawa.

Possibly Japan.

All doubts aside, they still had a chance to conquer the nation. Like a phoenix, rising from the embers. Burning bright, held together by the same dream to become national champions.

Because in Shohoku, all of them were strong.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Okay, so Mikio and Haruko don't _actually_ meet in person. But what would that be like? Any thoughts?**


	2. Chapter 2

**for mrsklemzak**

* * *

Haruko glanced at her watch. There was still a few hours before sundown, and she wanted to visit the basketball team before she settled in for the night. She was sleeping over at her friend Fujii's relative's house, which was a way from the inn where the Shohoku team stayed. Besides, she'd went off for her impromptu walk without telling anyone, and she didn't want people to worry.

She glanced around at her surroundings. The peaceful greenery was soothing to the eye, and the ambience had a mystical touch to it that she couldn't find anywhere. Hiroshima was beautiful, and secretly she hoped that Shohoku would win their following games so that she could stay longer. Her eyes fell upon the stream, the clear water quietly flowing in the opposite direction she was heading. Inhaling the sweet air, she closed her eyes, vanquishing all the scrambled thoughts in her head.

A moment to herself was all she needed.

Now it was time to head home. Haruko reluctantly shifted her feet, taking her time. Her thoughts began to drift over to Rukawa Kaede - imagine a romantic stroll with the handsome ace in the tranquil park! But her elation was short-lived as she started to worry about him, how he'd been worn out by the game against Sannoh that morning. Once she worried about Rukawa, she worried about her brother. She knew that her brother Takenori was a fighter, but she could still remember the weary look on his face in the moments following the match. Miyagi and Mitsui were next on her list - were they okay? And especially her best friend Sakuragi, with his broken back.

 _Were they all really okay?_

Haruko was too wrapped up in her thoughts, that she didn't see where she was going - tripping over a little pebble inconveniently placed in the middle of the trail. All of a sudden, her train of thought derailed when she unceremoniously fell flat onto the ground.

"Miss, are you okay?" A gentle, concerned voice called out.

Dusting herself off, Haruko simply smiled, though there was shooting pain in her knee. It was probably going to turn a pretty shade of purple the next morning, and she cursed her own clumsiness.

"I'm okay, thanks." She looked up to meet an extended hand - one so ginormous that Haruko immediately thought that the person was _simply perfect_ for basketball - only to notice that it belonged to a vaguely familiar face.

"Kawata Mikio?"

Mikio helped Haruko to her feet. "That's me." The Sannoh freshman didn't expect the girl - or even anyone - to recognize him. He'd been lamenting his luck from that morning when she came along and fell to the ground right in front of him, shaking him out of his funk. As he scrutinized her features - was she a classmate from Sannoh? He wasn't sure, but he felt like his luck was changing.

"Thank you for helping me." She smiled again, looking up at him. Compared to Mikio's gigantic stature, she seemed so tiny, like an elf.

"No problem."

"I watched the match this morning, that's how I recognized you." Haruko explained.

"Oh." Mikio wasn't the most eloquent with girls his age. Doubled with the disappointment from that morning, it still was uncharacteristic for him to come up with an abrupt response.

"I'm Akagi Haruko, by the way. It's nice to meet you."

"Akagi…?" Mikio couldn't help but gape. Was this elfin creature possibly related to the fierce captain of Shohoku, the team that beat Sannoh?

Haruko laughed, a delicate tinkle. "I get that a lot. Yes, my brother is the captain of Shohoku High."

"Please congratulate your brother for me." Mikio bowed his head, as a clutching pain gripped his heart. He certainly wasn't over the loss to no-name Shohoku, and he blamed himself for it. He thought that he didn't play very well, losing to someone smaller than him - he was the largest player on-court, at 2.1 metres; probably even in the whole tournament.

"I will. Sannoh is a very strong team, too." Haruko said, remembering the almighty trio of Fukatsu, Sawakita and Mikio's brother, Masashi. "I think you played well this morning."

"That was my first game." Mikio muttered. "I don't think I'm that good."

"Kawata-kun, you played in the Nationals. Doesn't that say something about your talents? Besides, I'm sure you learn from your big brother. He's an incredible player." Haruko said. She could still remember the defeated way her own brother Takenori had faced Kawata Masashi. It had taken almost half of the game for Takenori to finally face Masashi head-to-head.

Mikio glanced down to the sprawling green carpet of grass. There it was - the comparison to his perfect brother. Kawata Mikio was definitely destined to be in Masashi's shadow - a lesser, mediocre version of the best center in Akita, probably Japan. Mikio certainly didn't want to cry in front of the petite stranger, but he could feel the tears well up in his eyes once more.

"Kawata-kun? Is there something wrong?" Haruko paled slightly, worried if she'd said the wrong thing. Here was a boy, incredibly large for his age, who'd lost in his debut basketball match. And that match had been against her brother's team, no less. Of course he"d be upset. He was part of the team that was supposed to be the best in all of Japan.

MIkio swallowed and roughly wiped the tears away with the back of his hand. His brother wouldn't be too pleased at him for going around town, moping at their loss. The rest of the team had even strengthened their resolve right after the game; hunting for a basketball court to continue their never-ending intensive practice.

" _Sometimes you can't just win all the time." Coach Doumoto had said to the team right after the match. The atmosphere in the locker room was tense - the defeat was Sannoh's first in a very long time. "We did our best, but somehow Shohoku was much better...especially that redhead. Sakuragi Hanamichi." Coach Doumoto's eyes blazed as he said the name._

" _That redhead sure was determined." Masashi interjected. "You guys better get 'em next year. Work hard from now, all of you. Especially you, Mikio." Mikio could feel Masashi's sharp gaze on him, but he kept his eyes down._

" _Since we have some free time, let's go and practice, yo." Fukatsu grabbed a ball._

" _Oi, Mikio, where are you going?" Sawakita asked, spying the boy heading for the exit. Mikio didn't look back, and shut the door silently behind him._

" _Probably gonna go and cry to our mum. What a baby." Masashi's voice escaped between the door as Mikio closed it._

Mikio had let his feet guide the way, which was how he'd ended up in the panoramic park in the heart of the city.

"I'm fine, Akagi-san." Mikio said quietly, not meeting the girl's eyes. "I need to leave now."

"Oh. Okay, then." . She still wanted to talk to him, but given the circumstances, it seemed inappropriate. She'd just met him, too, so it seemed too much to pry around, asking him too many questions.

"Bye." Mikio gave her a withering smile and walked away, leaving Haruko alone by the bench where he'd sat earlier. Maybe Masashi was right - he needed to break out of his funk. Now that Masashi was about to retire, Coach Doumoto was probably going to make him his brother's replacement. He'd have to train hard, of course, since only the best players made it onto Sannoh's starting five.

"Work hard, Kawata-kun! See you at next year's Nationals!" Haruko called out. Her words rooted him to the ground - that expectation weighed on him, yet it rejuvenated his spirit at the same time.

He was going to be his brother's replacement, and finally step out of that shadow. He was going to work hard, and make Sannoh great again. And revenge on no-name Shohoku sounded interesting. This summer, he was rooting for the team of troublemakers for Kanagawa for the top prize. But next year, Mikio would make sure that Shohoku would be defeated.

Mikio faced Haruko and smiled genuinely at her, pumping his fist in the air. Maybe she wasn't an elf, but a fairy…

Haruko's cheerful smile lit up his day. And the prospect of seeing her again one day...he'd make sure that when the day came, he was Kawata Mikio, the best center in Akita. Possibly Japan.

* * *

 **A/N: I miss writing fics, but my schedule is hectic. Writing this made me feel happy, though it feels a bit subpar. Reviews, as usual, are welcome!**


	3. Chapter 3

**one year later.**

The bullet train whizzed past the sprawling green expanse of the earth, heading towards Hiroshima. The bright summer sun peeked in through the glass, illuminating the train cabin, mixing with the artificial lighting. Some of the heat radiated into the train compartment - a touch of warmth contrasting against the cool air-conditioning. All gone, as a window shutter was roughly pulled down to block out the natural goodness.

It was summer again, and the national basketball inter-high championship was back.

The Sannoh High basketball team were travelling to Hiroshima for this purpose and one purpose only: to become national champions. There was a muted conversation going on among some of the team members, a couple were dozing off, while a few crowded over some magazine one of them had brought along. And in one of the window seats, sitting alone, was an incredibly large boy, leaning his head against the window shutter he'd pulled down earlier.

Sannoh, as obligatory as it was, were the champions of the Akita prefecture yet again this year - the local teams weren't as fearsome as the teams on the national roster. They'd be representing Akita at Nationals again, for the tenth year in a row. It wouldn't be right if King Sannoh didn't make it to the national stage: they were the perfect team. Slowly, over the expanse of the past decade, Sannoh had risen up amongst the ranks, from an average team based in Akita to become the best in all of Japan, three times. By then, Sannoh was indomitable, each player on the court playing beyond their roles, synchronising each play like a well-oiled machine. Sannoh had the talent, and the burning desire to win, and that made them champions.

Until Shohoku came along.

Kawata Mikio cringed at the memory of his Nationals debut exactly a year ago. Back then, he was still a freshman - practically a beginner in basketball - but he'd been thrust into the spotlight to thwart Shohoku's relentless advances. No-name Shohoku had their flaws, all right. But in that particular match, the team of troublemakers from Kanagawa had prevailed, and dethroned King Sannoh from their comfortable three-year reign as national champions.

Mikio tried to shake off the negative thoughts that haunted him whenever he thought of his debut game against Shohoku. He knew that it was a lesson to learn, for him and for Sannoh, but that was the past. Now he was a sophomore, and an important member of Sannoh's basketball team. And Mikio was more experienced, and determined to avenge last year's loss, to redeem himself and his seniors.

Under Coach Doumoto's guidance, Mikio trained and trained to follow in his brother Masashi's footsteps. Masashi, Sannoh's former star center - and Mikio's big brother - had left a large void upon his departure from high school basketball. Nevertheless, Mikio kept practicing, until Coach Doumoto deemed him fit to fill the ginormous gap - both figuratively and literally, thanks to Mikio's incredibly large stature - and become a team starter, an honour for Mikio. Burned in his mind was the tapes of Sannoh's glory days - Mikio studied all the moves his seniors did, and tried to replicate them on court. Now his playbook was broader: his defence and attacks complemented that of his teammates. Sannoh had fixed every single aspect in their play - passes, shots and strategic plays - and they were just perfect, perfect. Mikio himself had shone in the Regionals, being the backbone of the team, and practically being a wall between the basket and the attacking team; with his gigantic body, simply no one had the chance to get past for a shot. He was ready for Nationals, ready to terrify unsuspecting teams, given his naturally mild and gentle manner.

Kawata Mikio was slowly creeping out of his big brother's shadow, and he owed it all to one person whom he'd only met once in his life.

Akagi Haruko.

Mikio had made a silent promise for her that he'd do his best, ever since Sannoh's defeat at Shohoku's hands last year. Now Sannoh was back, and better than ever, and Mikio couldn't wait to show Haruko the results of his hard work. He'd see her again this summer, with Shohoku. Mikio was proud of his efforts, and he knew that she would be, too. Besides, it would be interesting to see how Shohoku had grown as a team, with the troublesome duo Sakuragi Hanamichi and Rukawa Kaede - those two were invincible when they teamed up.

"Hey, Kawata. What are you thinking about?" Mikio's closest friend, Sawada Kiyoshi, grinned at him. The power forward had a basketball magazine with him, which he tossed towards Mikio. "Here. The rankings are out. Check it out for yourself."

Mikio reluctantly took the magazine - he didn't want to be daunted by seeing the names of their potential rivals - but curiosity got the better of him and he flipped through the glossy pages. The centrespread was a whole feature dedicated for the high school national tournament, listing the rankings of all 57 participating teams. His eyes quickly found his school's name - they were ranked 'A' this year, a step down from last year's elite 'AA' ranking. Next he set to find Shohoku, but he couldn't find them listed anywhere.

Sawada, who'd made himself comfortable in the seat next to Mikio, judged his friend's reaction. He already knew what Mikio was thinking about, without even asking. In fact, everyone in the team wanted to destroy the team from Kanagawa in this year's quest for the top prize. Too bad for the way things turned out.

"Shohoku didn't make it this year."

* * *

Akagi Haruko was walking past one of the few public basketball courts in Kanagawa, when the familiar staccato of a bouncing basketball against the cement pounded into her ears. Basketball was her favourite sport, and her thoughts easily drifted over to the Shohoku basketball team.

It had been a month since Regionals ended. Back then, everything seemed so certain: all eyes were on Shohoku to make it to the Nationals once again, even with Ryonan's meteoric rise and their unstoppable run in the tournament. Their biggest obstacle came in the form of Sendoh Akira, now captain of the best team in the prefecture, and Kanagawa's Most Valuable Player. Even mighty Kainan, Kanagawa's kings for the past two decades, fell short of Ryonan, taking the second spot to the Nationals, leaving Shohoku in the dust.

If everything had been as expected, Haruko would be on the train to Hiroshima with her teammates, looking forward for a week of good basketball and a shot at the title of national champions. Instead, things had taken an interesting turn, and Shohoku had lost the chance of repeating last year's feat of representing the prefecture in the national high school basketball tournament.

Everything was now on the rocks.

It had been a mediocre season for Shohoku. They were good, all right - their ace Rukawa Kaede was one of the five best players in the prefecture - but as a team, they weren't good enough. The freshmen that joined in the spring were enthusiastic, but none of them could match up to the high expectations the seniors (especially Miyagi and Rukawa) had. They needed more time to practice, to integrate into the seamless teamwork Shohoku had last year. And besides, Sakuragi Hanamichi had only recently returned to the team after a lengthy stint in rehabilitation to fix his broken back. It was taking him some time to relearn all the basketball tricks he knew - with caution to mind his spine, just in case.

 _Maybe not this year, but next year…_

Losing was part and parcel of life. Shohoku needed to accept the loss, move on and gear up for other challenges like the Winter Cup. Haruko remembered the way Sakuragi had sulked over the loss in the final match against Ryonan in the finals. Captain Miyagi's crestfallen expression. Rukawa's angry blue eyes as Ryonan were announced as champions. And the rest of the team, with so much hope, watching their dreams of conquering the nation crushed to pieces right there and then.

Two days after the devastating defeat, Shohoku was up and running again. The seniors - Yasuda, Shiozaki, Kakuta and team manager Ayako - announced their retirement. Miyagi still wanted to power on until winter, so he stayed captain, though he had doubts, being the only senior on the team. Haruko was now the team manager, though she still felt inexperienced for the responsibility. The freshmen trained even harder now that there were voids in the starting spots. Sakuragi was regaining his incredible athleticism he'd portrayed when he started out last year, and even Rukawa was more open to passing the ball now. There was still hope. Slowly but surely, Shohoku was rising up from the ashes of their crash and burn, reviving back to life like a phoenix.

Resurrection.

Rukawa, of all people, had pronounced the word. It described perfectly what Shohoku was aiming for in the next few months. They were going to train like never before, reviving the spirit of Shohoku that Haruko's own brother had carried for the past few years. Determination, and passion. The will to become national champions. Haruko was going to make sure that the team didn't forget their dream of conquering the nation. But first, they needed to rebuild and slowly work their way up to the top.

Haruko's thoughts shifted over to Sannoh. Was this what it felt like, to be on top of the world one day and find yourself in the gutter on the next day? Sannoh had a lot more to lose when they met Shohoku in the Nationals last year. It had been a huge feat, to knock off the kings off their throne, and Shohoku had been hailed as heroes for months on end after that, even though they were eliminated after the third round.

Sannoh had made it to the Nationals again this year, thanks to inside information from Ryonan's Aida Hikoichi. As expected Sannoh emerged as Akita's champions, and one of the best bets for the national title. They'd definitely gotten over last year's little trip, a black mark in Sannoh's glorious history. Haruko wondered how Sannoh had coped with the loss since last summer, now that they'd clawed their way back up to the top. It was definitely something to learn from. She remembered meeting Sannoh's center player, Kawata Mikio in a park after last year's legendary match - he was upset after her brother's team had defeated his brother's team. Back then, it had been a battle against the centers, Akagi Takenori versus Kawata Masashi - two giants defending the post against opponents with their lives. They had now taken their rivalry up a notch into the college basketball arena.

So much could change in the timespan of a year. Now Shohoku was in the pits, licking their wounds. Sannoh was entering the Nationals as Akita's representative, a privilege reserved for the best teams in every respective prefecture in Japan. Maybe it just wasn't their luck this year, but Haruko knew Shohoku was going to fight their way back into the Nationals next year. She wasn't the only one who believed it. All of them did.

Because in Shohoku, all of them were strong.

 _to be continued_

* * *

 **Author's note: ooh hello readers. Surprise update! :D**

 **i still wanted to tell Mikio's story, he's such an interesting character to explore (after Rukawa, but there are other stories for him). i felt that Haruko's point of view was a bit weak in this chapter, like it was a bit repetitive and that i couldn't capture her perfectly? More to come soon, but not too soon. i tend to write when my exams are near haha.**

 **Reviews would be nice, thank you. :) Oh and a huge thank you to all reviewers for the past chapters. Thanks for all the love. It keeps me going. 3**


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